DUMPLINGS DELIVER: Now in its ninth year, Celebrity Dim Sum is a signature fundraising event for AIDS Vancouver. A capacity crowd gathered at the Four Seasons Hotel for the annual nosh hosted by yours truly and Carmen Ruiz y Laza of JoyTV, the event鈥檚 presenting sponsor. Artists, politicos, business and community leaders packed the Park Ballroom for the yearly treat. As always, local personalities were on hand to serve guests. This year鈥檚 gaggle of stars included city councillor Andrea Reimer, reality TV star Mary Zilba and 麻豆传媒映画Canucks alumni Kyle Wellwood. The fun-filled Asian foodie fete generated a reported $40,000 to care for the 7,000 people annually accessing vital services and programs at AIDS Vancouver.
TREMENDOUS CARE: Cause We Care Foundation presented its sophomore cocktail party at the Equinox Gallery. Led by its founder Andrea Thomas Hill and a cast of leading ladies, the event drew some of the city鈥檚 most influential people wanting to make a difference in the lives of single mothers and children living in poverty in our community. More than 250 well-heeled guests attended the Hawksworth-catered affair to learn more about the Vancouver-based charity鈥檚 efforts to provide needy moms and their families a brighter future. Since its inception in 2007, the women have been assembling some 5,000 Christmas hampers as well as contributing to the capital campaign for YWCA鈥檚 Cause We Care House, set to open this fall. Learning more than 50 per cent of B.C.鈥檚 single mothers are living below the poverty line, partygoers dug deep into their designer wallets and purses donating some $125,000 to the cause. Hill and her husband, Brian Hill, CEO of Aritzia, would match every dollar raised, pushing the final tally beyond $250,000. The benefit was presented by the Beedie Development Group and Clark Wilson LLP.
CLUB LEADERS: For 80 years, the Boys and Girls Club of South Coast B.C. has been giving children and youth something that every child deserves to have: a place to belong when they aren鈥檛 at home or at school. Annually, BGC serves more than 12,000 children, youth and families. No one is ever turned away due to an inability to pay. Comedian Steve Patterson from CBC鈥檚 The Debaters once again headlined the Clubhouse Gala, the charity鈥檚 flagship fundraiser sponsored by Scotiabank. Hosted by sports broadcaster Perry Solkowski, the night drew many tears 鈥� tears of laughter from the comedy and tears of hope from the stories of BGC鈥檚 amazing kids as told by Carolyn Tuckwell, president and CEO. Those heartfelt stories buoyed everyone in the Hotel 麻豆传媒映画ballroom to make a donation ranging from $100 to $25,000. By evening鈥檚 end, a record setting $335,000 was netted 鈥� nearly twice as much as last year鈥檚 record haul 鈥� in support of a safe space for kids to be amazing.
ART PARTY: The Eastside Culture Crawl began in 1996 with 45 artists participating. Since that time, the event has grown to include more than 475 artists, designers and craftspeople attracting 25,000 art enthusiasts. To mark two decades of art creation, the Eastside Culture Crawl Society hosted an anniversary 鈥減ARTy鈥� and fundraiser in advance of the popular four-day festival Nov. 17 to 20. Chaired by Rob O鈥橠ea and Eri Ishii, the event drew a capacity crowd to the Russian Hall. Thanks to the creative talents of Lauren Sabo and Jaleh Fotoohi, the community space was beautifully transformed into a party palace for the evening of art, music and celebration. Yours truly emceed the hoi polloi, which saw musical performances by Tom Arntzen, Frazey Ford and Dawn Pemberton and 20 attendees going home with beautiful works of art. Silent auction and raffle saw other fantastic prizes awarded. The night concluded with a toast and birthday cake to commemorate the milestone of 20 years of creativity and art in the city.
REIMAGINING VIFF: Content creation is rapidly changing in a digital world. Even the ways in which people consume content has changed. Recognizing the need to keep up with the Joneses, the 麻豆传媒映画International Film Festival, now in its 35th year, launched a bold restructuring of its traditional film and industry programming to attract new audiences. VIFF expands the frame to create multi-experiential streams that include 300 of the best films from around the world fused with related talks and events in a unique 鈥渇ilm+鈥� model emphasizing greater social interaction, workshops and audience engagement. Maudie, a film about the life of legendary Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis kicked off this year鈥檚 cinematic celebrations, while Terrence Malik鈥檚 much-anticipated Voyage of Time, which took 35 years to make, will close out the festival鈥檚 16-day run on Oct. 14.
